As someone who wasn't born into royalty, Kate Middleton had to adjust to palace life and a range of protocols when she married Prince William in 2011. And while she learned when to curtsy and how to address dignitaries, there's one part of being royal that apparently comes with a slightly bigger learning curve—and it's something that the Princess of Wales has had to experience hands-on over the years.
Members of the Royal Family frequently conduct walkabouts, which are informal meet and greets where they speak to members of the public waiting outside during royal engagements—and Kate said it was something that she needed "a few more tips" on.
"I think there is a real art to walkabouts," Princess Kate said in an interview for Queen Elizabeth's 90th birthday in 2016 (via the Express). She added that "everyone teases me in the family that I spend far too long chatting, so I think I've still got to learn a little bit more and pick up a few more tips I suppose."
Nearly 10 years later, it seems that old habits die hard—and the public certainly isn't complaining. On Christmas Day 2024, Prince William had finished meeting the crowds gathered outside church after the royals' traditional walk on the Sandringham estate and was waiting patiently as Kate chatted away.
"I seem to have lost my family!" she joked to the crowd, noticing Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were all standing with dad William far down the path.
However, it seems like she takes after at least one member of Prince William's family in the chattiness department. The King often holds up royal engagements for talking too much, and Queen Camilla came up with a clever trick to get him moving along.
Royal author Robert Hardman told the Daily Mail's "Palace Confidential" show that The King "does love a chat" and makes his staff "nervous" for holding up the schedule—but "no one quite wants to go up and go, 'Sir, can you get a move on?'" Instead, Queen Camilla will "nudge him in the small of his back with the corner of her handbag," according to the royal expert. Perhaps William can pick up some tips from his stepmother.
